Nobody can say that iPads are cheap, but would you pay $30,500 for one? No? Well, that’s what one person did in April when they bought a special iPad at auction. Last month, Pope Francis auctioned off his iPad in aid of a good cause. As you might imagine, the move got a whole load of media attention and bidders from around the globe tried to win the holy gadget. It is not the first time the Pope has auctioned off his things. Last year, he sold a Harley Davidson for $320,000 at auction. The motorbike had been a gift, yet he decided to donate the money to a local charity.

Charity auction

At a charity auction in Uruguay last month, the Pope decided to put his used iPad up for sale. After many bidders had attempted to win the device, it was an over-the-phone bidder who claimed it. Bidding a massive $30,500, the person won the iPad with ease. The proceeds from the auction have gone towards helping a local Uruguayan school for poor children. As you might imagine, the Pope is no stranger to charitable activities, and this one follows a long history of similar events.

So, who bought the iPad?

Many people are wondering who bought the iPad. Since the bidder paid over the phone, it is hard to know who it was. It must have been someone with a lot of cash to splash, given the amount they were willing to pay for the gadget. Right now, nobody knows who the anonymous bidder was, and we are unlikely to find out anytime soon. People have speculated about who it might be, but with the officials keeping their lips sealed, we may never know the truth.

What did they get for $30,500?

For that amount of money, you might expect that the buyer would get more than just an iPad. Well, the gadget did come with its fair share of extras. On the back of the device, there is an inscription that says, “His Holiness Francisco. Servizio Internet Vatican, March 2013.” There is also a certificate from the Vatican that serves as proof of the iPad’s authenticity. That means that the buyer can prove that the gadget was once the property of the Pope. Aside from that, it appears that Pope Francis has also thrown in an old keyboard so that they buyer can use the gadget as a mini-notebook.

Pope Francis Vs. technology

For some people, it seems a little odd that a holy man such as Pope Francis has such an interest in technology. People don’t tend to associate mainstream religion with gadgets, yet the Pope has always loved them. He has said that the internet is a “gift from God” and says that we should use it to try and spread the word of Christianity. He has also used the video chat function on Google Hangouts to communicate with disabled children around the globe. His use of gadgets shows that even the most ancient of religions can learn to embrace new technology.

In April 2015, Apple released its latest iOS, which promised to have loads of brand new features and updates. As with any new system, there was a whole load of hysteria, and many people speculated on what the new features would be. The system is available on both iPhones and iPads right now. Since its release, though, users have noticed a great number of problems with the system. One of the main issues with it is that some of the emojis appear differently depending on what version of iOS you have.

Apple’s iOS 8.3 beta

The latest system is the iOS 8.3 beta, which has only just hit the mainstream market. One of the main things people are saying about the upgrade is that, once you download it, it is impossible to downgrade back to iOS 8.2. Other than that, there are many new features that the new system offers users. The update allows Apple customers to use a better version of CarPlay. The feature means that users can sync their phones with touch screens in their car. Aside from that, the system has rectified some of the problems with previous iOS downloads.

New emojis

In the name of diversity, the latest upgrade has a whole new set of emojis. The emojis vary greatly in skin tone, which means that they are much more diverse than any previous images. The emoji keyboard has also had a rather dramatic makeover, meaning it is much easier to use the broad range of images than it used to be. If both Apple users have the latest iOS, there is no problem with these images. If, on the flip side, you try to send an emoji from a phone with iOS 8.3 to one with iOS 8.2, you might run into a range of issues.

For example, if you try to send a dark-skinned emoji from the new system to a phone with an older version of iOS, you will find that it is an alien. This issue has angered many iPhone users, who have taken offence to the problem. That is not the only example of the emojis not translating to older systems. The main problem with this feature is that some of the new emojis appear to be other things when you send them. That means that while you might want to send someone an emoji of a baby, they might get a nose instead. As you might imagine, this issue could lead to no end of problems when you are trying to communicate with other users.

Other changes to the brand new system

As if the new emoji keyboard was not enough to excite (or anger) users, there are yet more features available with the new system. As we have already mentioned, the system allows users to access an updated version of the CarPlay feature. There have been yet more changes to Siri and the iCloud, which should aid usability. The update is available to all Apple users, regardless of the generation of their device. Only time will tell if this update is an improvement for Apple devices.

The popularity of smart watches means that every company is currently creating their version of the device. From Apple to Android, there are loads of different watches about to hit the market or, indeed, already on sale. These gadgets are much like smartphones in that they will have all the capabilities that most modern phones have. The catch? Well, of course, they are much smaller than the average smartphone. Most mainstream brands are currently developing these devices.

One of the main issues with the devices is compatibility. If a user gets an Android Wear watch, can they synchronize it with their iPhone? In the same respect, can an Apple Watch work alongside any other smartphone, such as Windows phones and Android phones? The answer is unclear, at least at the moment. Sources suggest that Google, one of Apple’s competitors, are close to developing software to work with iOS.

What does this mean for the gadget?

If they were to be successful, this move would mean that users could sync their Android Wear watch with their iPhone. That means that users would have a wide variety of choice when it came to choosing a smart watch. These days, consumers use their smartphones in every aspect of their waking lives. From alarm clocks and reminders to calorie counters and fitness apps, people use this technology for it all. Without the technology that syncs the two conflicting systems, users would have to stick with the same brand. For example, iPhone owners would need to get an Apple Watch to make sure that they can sync all their apps. The new software will mean that people can mix and match the tech they own.

Will Apple allow it to happen?

Ultimately, Apple has the final say when it comes to this new software. It doesn’t matter whether the Google developers can create the software – Apple still has the right to reject it. In order for users to sync the two systems, the apps would have to be available for both the Apple App Store and the Android store. If Apple decides to reject the software from their store, it means that there would be no way in which users could download it. As we already know, Apple has tight security when it comes to external downloads. With the release of the Apple Watch on the horizon, it would make sense that the company would reject the cross-platform app. After all, Android Wear is in direct competition with Apple.

Previous issues with external apps

Of course, if Apple does decide to stop Google from releasing this app for iOS, it would not be the first time they have rejected their apps. In 2010, the mega-company stated that it would reject any apps mentioning other brands. It is unlikely that this software would not mention Android, which, of course, is a massive problem. The jury is still out on whether Apple will accept the new app, but things don’t look all that promising. After all, Apple has no real incentive to promote a rival app to users!

This year is a momentous one for Microsoft. After 40 years of business, the company officials have a great deal to celebrate. Indeed, when they first launched, there were many obstacles that stood in their way. The technological landscape was entirely different back then to the one you see today. Computing systems were not mainstream products – they were for professionals and those in academia. That meant that the Microsoft customer pool was much smaller and more niche than it is today. In its first twenty years, the company emerged as one of the biggest (and, of course, most powerful) tech companies in the world.

So, what changed? Well, simply put, Apple came along. The two companies have been competing ever since, and recently, it would appear that Apple have been winning. In the last five years, at least, it is clear to see a steady decline in Microsoft’s popularity. During that time, Apple have enjoyed quite the opposite effect. In fact, in Q1 of this year, the iPhone sales soared. The companies have, for a long time, been rivals, but is there any fight left in Microsoft?

Microsoft 2010 – 2015

The tablet changed the way in which people use technology forever. Somewhere between the smartphone and the laptop, this new gadget captured the hearts of the masses. For a long time, before the release of the iPad, the officials at Microsoft had been toying with the idea of launching a tablet. In fact, they planned to call this new device a ‘slate PC’ and believed that it would be much like modern touchscreen devices. One of Microsoft’s great mistakes here was failing to get the right technology to use for this idea.

The problem with Microsoft tablets

The main issue was that the officials did not plan to change all that much about the system itself. The tablets they wanted to launch would use Windows 7, regardless of the fact that it is a different device. These operating system issues were the source of many of Microsoft’s problems. Launching a product without a functional interface is no good at all, as the officials would soon learn. The Microsoft team were well aware of both smartphone and tablet technology, yet they did not get the timing right. Each time they attempted to launch a product of this nature, they failed to get the best software. While the experts were on the right track, they had no way of competing with what Apple were about to launch.

The success of the iPad

In 2010, the launch of the iPad changed everything. Now, five years later, it is impossible to imagine a world without these high-tech tablets. What made the tablets so popular was their utter simplicity. Microsoft’s failed attempts were targeting the wrong market. They thought that tablets would appeal only to professionals and workers. In fact, this type of technology has a vast and diverse appeal, and one which the officials at Microsoft could not have imagined. Apple’s iOS was easy to use, which meant that everyone could get themselves an iPad. By opening the product up to a mass market, Apple ensured its ultimate success.

So, what will Microsoft do next? In a letter to his employees, Bill Gates said that they should look towards the future. Only time will tell if they can change their fortune or whether it is time to switch off for good.

Sell Faulty iPhone

An iPhone can develop many faults over its lifetime such as a cracked screen, faulty buttons or faulty speakers. This can make your mobile harder to sell on, and lowers its resale value.

That’s where Gecko Mobile Recycling come in! We only deduct what it costs to repair your iPhone from its working value, which means you get the maximum possible value for your faulty device.

Our faulty iPhone trade in service is transparent, quick and simple. Just download a pre-paid tracked postage label, pop your faulty iPhone in the post, and get paid the same day your handset arrives. It couldn’t be easier to get the best price for your faulty iPhone!

Sell Broken iPad

Selling a broken iPad can be tricky. Often, the issue is something small like a cracked glass touch panel. When this is the case, it feels unfair for the price to be slashed by more than the repair cost. But this is exactly what most recyclers do – typically reducing the offer by 70%.

At Gecko Mobile Recycling we think it is only fair to reduce a faulty iPad’s value by its repair cost, and not a penny more. Now, when you go to register a sale on our website, you can choose the most common faults and get a tailored quote up front, based on their repair cost. If your fault isn’t listed, don’t worry! You can choose Other Faults and we will make an adjusted offer after we have tested your iPad. This is to ensure that you get the maximum possible value for it, as some repairs are more expensive than others.

So next time you crack your precious iPhone or iPad and it’s time to upgrade, you needn’t worry about getting pennies as you could be getting pounds with Gecko Mobile Recycling!

Sell Your Broken iPhone

You’d be surprised how many people put up with a cracked iPhone until its time to upgrade. Unfortunately, when it comes to cashing in a faulty or broken iPhone, consumers are hard-pressed to get a decent valuation for it.

Most mobile phone recycling companies will absolutely slaughter you with an instant 55-70% reduction from your device’s full working value. Does that seem fair when a typical iPhone screen repair is in the region of £35-£50?! I don’t think so!

That’s why Gecko Mobile Recycling individually test each Faulty handset or tablet in order to give an individual offer based on exactly what is wrong with your device. This means you are guaranteed to get the maximum possible value for it. And as long as it is a fault that we can repair in-house, you are guaranteed to be offered more cash for it than any other mobile recycling company!

Here are examples of typical deductions based on selling a faulty iPhone 5:

On the 17th of October 2014 Apple announced two new iPad models: the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3. With many people now looking to upgrade, iPad recycling comparison is more important than ever.

How to compare iPad recycling services

There are two key elements to consider when deciding which iPad recycling service to choose: price and service. Price is pretty easy to compare; it’s simply how much dosh you get for your device. Comparing the service between mobile recyclers is a little more difficult.

Price Comparison

As mentioned earlier, comparing price is easier than comparing the quality of service iPad recycling companies offer. However, there are still a few caveats to look out for. One of these is that different recyclers have different pricing structures. For example, Gecko Mobile Recycling has a grading system, whereas others only differentiate between Working and Faulty conditions. The advantage of a grading system is that you are rewarded if your iPad is in good nick, but still get fair market value if it is not.

As always, it is important to look out for unscrupulous recyclers who will lure you in with inflated prices just to mark down the value of your iPad unfairly once it arrives. A great way to avoid this is to check out their reviews before sending your iPad to them. Which brings us onto service comparison…

Service Comparison

So you want the best price for your iPad – who wouldn’t? But for the sake of a fiver or so, it’s not worth waiting days to be paid, or having no number to call if things go wrong. Speed of service, a contact phone number and reputation are key things to consider when comparing the service iPad recyclers provide.

Speed of service

Some iPad recyclers offer a good price, but won’t pay you for weeks. That’s fine if you don’t mind waiting around for a little more cash. But if speedy payment is important to you, it is well worth checking exactly how long it will take before that cash is in your account.

In order to do this try to find out how long it will take for the freepost label to arrive, how long your iPad will take to be delivered once you put it in the post, and how long payment will take to reach your account.

For example, at Gecko Mobile Recycling you can download the freepost label the day you register your sale. And if you’d rather we post your freepost label to you we will dispatch it to you 1st class the same day you register your sale on our website. If you choose to be paid via PayPal or Bank Transfer (Faster Payments) the money will be in your account the same day your iPad arrives in the post. That means you could be paid as soon as tomorrow – you can’t get faster than that!

Contact number

Hereat Gecko Mobile Recycling we can think of at least one big recycler who doesn’t even have a customer support contact phone number! What if things go wrong? You’d want to be able to call up and get straight through to someone who can help. One of the advantages of being a small company is that if you call up you’ll get straight through to someone in-house who can look up your order and give you personalised help You won’t find any switchboards or outsourced call centres here! It is well worth making sure you can easily get hold of any iPad recycler you are considering, just in case something does goes wrong.

Reputation

Reputation is very important. Just because you see a price on a website, doesn’t mean the people behind it will honour it once your precious iPad turns up at their premises. This brings us back to reviews, and just how important they are when comparing iPad trade in services to find the best one.

We have written about the importance of reviews elsewhere, but very briefly, here is what to look out for… ‘Testimonials’ on the website you are looking at can be easily fabricated, so try to find verified customer reviews on an independent review platform. We think the best is TrustPilot as they have very advanced checks and balances in place to flag up and remove fake reviews. You can check out our TrustPilot reviews if you like.

Hopefully after reading this article you feel better positioned to compare iPad recycling services and make the best decision based on your own preferences. After doing so, you might want to sell your iPad to us.

If Apple’s history of releasing new products during September is anything to go by, then the iPhone 6 release date is more than likely to fall in the first week of next month.

Reliable sources have also confirmed that two new smartphones will be released simultaneously — the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and a 5.5-inch phablet, already dubbed the iPhone Air.

Meanwhile, what seems to set the new smartphones apart from its predecessors are its larger screens, roundness at the corners, and lines running from top to bottom which improve reception and user experience. These are sure to please teeming fans of the Cupertino giant.

Several reports also suggest that the iPhone 6 price will be far from cheap, with the 4.7 and 5.5-inch models probably going for $850 (around £510) and $950 (around £570) respectively. But that is not the real problem.

There will be an improved battery, even more so a 2,100 mAh, this is a huge leap from the 1560mAh found in the iPhone 5S but not in the league of its competitors like Samsung Galaxy S5 which house a Li-Ion 2,800 mAh battery, Nexus 5 – 2,300 mAh, LG G3 – 3,000 mAh, Sony Xperia Z2 – 3,200 mAh, HTC One M8 – 2,600 mAh and Motorola Moto X – 2,200 mAh.

The Cupertino giant may have thought differently about this, since its new operating system, iOS 8 has been proven to extend the phone’s battery life by giving users the ability to switch off the apps that consume more power. But, what remains to be seen is if this feature is superior to similar options in Android devices.

Other striking features of the iPhone 6 are a 20-nanometer A8 chip (64-bit) processor, an 8MP camera, featuring flash and Optical Image Stabilization among several other upgrades.

According to latest claims, the smartphones would come with a new version of cable that can be plugged into a USB port either way. The connector design would be compatible with any USB ports on computers or any other device, while it is also being reported that at least one of the smartphones will not have more than 1GB RAM.

A repair company in Asia called GeekBar recently leaked a schematic for the iPhone 6, claiming the new device will only have 1 GB of RAM. What is not clear is which of the smartphones the schematic represents.

If these latest rumours have an iota of truth in them, the iPhone 6 would join its predecessors iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c in housing 1 GB of RAM. That size of RAM would definitely be lower than the competition such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, which both sports 2 GB of RAM. Most Apple fans are already aware that the company has never believed in competing on the amount of RAM in the iPhone, it has indeed chosen the road less travelled: design thinking and optimizing the user experience.

Apple will reportedly be hosting an iPhone event on Sept. 13, and the phones will come out shortly.

We have written this guide on how to unlock an iPhone (don’t worry – the information can also be applied to other makes and models).

Why unlock your phone?

An unlocked phone gives you the freedom to use it on any network in the world, so you are not tied to one single mobile network operator. Want to avoid excessive roaming charges on holiday? No problem – just pop in a local SIM!

How to unlock an iPhone

The mobile phone unlocking process is quite straightforward, but should not be confused with mobile phone unblocking (using a PUK code to remove a temporary block placed on your SIM card – often caused by entering your SIM card PIN incorrectly 3 times).

There are three ways to unlock your iPhone: official carrier unlocking; unofficial carrier unlocking; and jailbreak unlocking. Each method has pros and cons.

Official carrier unlocking is the ‘official’ way to permanently unlock your iPhone. It involves contacting your carrier and asking them to unlock your iPhone. The cost of unlocking your mobile, the time it takes to complete and any other requirements varies from carrier to carrier. For example, if you are with EE, Orange, T-Mobile or Virgin you must have had your handset registered with them for at least 6 months and it will take them up to 20 days to unlock your phone.

Note that there are a few caveats which will apply to most – if not all – network providers. Your IMEI number must not be blacklisted and you must not owe your network provider any money. An official iPhone unlock with EE cost around £20 at the time of writing.

Unofficial carrier unlocking involves paying a third party to arrange the unlocking of your phone. This method is often faster than going direct to the network and is permanent, but can be more costly than official carrier unlocking.

If you are considering using an unofficial unlock service it is important to make sure they are offering a reliable and legitimate service – otherwise you run the risk of them disappearing with your money or providing a poor service. Try to find unlocking service reviews by verified purchasers on trustworthy third party review websites such as TrustPilot. This is a great way of checking you are dealing with a credible company.

The third and final method – jailbreaking –is a temporary software-based means of unlocking your iPhone. It can be quite technical as it involves unofficially modifying the operating system on your iPhone using software downloaded from the internet. And if you update your operating system in the future it could reverse the unlock. However, this method is free (and fast if you know what you’re doing). If you understand the risks, and don’t mind a temporary solution, jailbreaking is probably the only way you’re going to be able to unlock your iPhone for free.